The Colors Are Golden and Bright
by IceBlueRose
Summary: People live in a world of black and white until they meet their soulmate and it's only then that they can see in color. Leonard's gotten used to seeing the world in black and white. Then he meets Sara.
1. Chapter 1

**Note:** This is the first in a series I'm doing called Since You Came Along. It's going to be the different ways that Sara and Leonard discover that they're soulmates. None of them will be connected; each one will be a complete story on its own.

* * *

To find your soulmate meant that your world quite literally became a brighter place. Once it happened, your vision changed from black and white to color, only changing back when your soulmate died.

Leonard had spent his whole life seeing the world in nothing but shades of gray. As he'd gotten older, he'd figured that it was appropriate with how his father was and what it was like in that house.

Color had no place in a house like the one he grew up in.

It said something about his life that he'd hoped getting thrown in juvie would change things for him. He'd actually hoped that he'd meet someone there and finally see something other than black, white, and gray. When Mick had stopped the other kids about to attack him, Leonard had looked up at him and a small part of him had hoped that he'd see something more than the usual lack of color.

Nothing had changed though and Leonard could admit, if only to himself, that a part of him had given up then. He may have only been a teenager but with the way his life was going, he wasn't sure where else the son of a dirty cop was going to meet their soulmate.

Still, not all of his hope had died and a small part of him kept waiting for that person that would light up his world.

The Flash was never going to be his soulmate (he was too much of a do-gooder for that) but that didn't mean Leonard didn't find the kid—and that's what he was; hell, he looked like he should still be in school—interesting. No, Barry had found his soulmate when he was just a boy. He'd been seeing in color for years. Barry had talked about how he knew Leonard had good in him, that there was more to him than just his past.

Barry Allen believed that Leonard was going to realize that he was one of the good guys. He had faith that Leonard would someday do the right thing just as he had faith that Leonard was going to get some sort of happy ending.

Leonard may not have given up completely but he also wasn't going to hold his breath that something was going to suddenly change. He certainly wasn't going to go out and start helping to protect Central City like some sort of hero.

Of course, that was when the universe decided to prove him wrong.

"The name's Rip Hunter. I'm from East London," the man announced, striding forward. "Oh...and the future."

 _Dramatic_ , Leonard thought even as he straightened and focused on Rip, listening closely as he announced that a man named Vandal Savage was going to put the world in danger, which was apparently just the thing to say to catch the two bird people's attention as they each protested, saying that they'd destroyed him with the help of the Green Arrow and Flash.

"And therein lay the problem. Unless you or Mr. Hall delivered the death blow, Savage can be restored but from a single cell," Rip told them.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mick demanded, his tone indicating exactly how annoyed he was with this conversation.

Bird Boy looked over at them. "Vandal's immortal. Kendra and I reincarnate."

"Yeah," the woman in the heavy coat said, drawing Leonard's attention. "I've done that." She glanced back at them and Leonard froze as his gaze met hers.

Her eyes were blue.

He didn't know how he knew that, he'd obviously never seen the color blue, but he knew.

Her eyes were blue.

Leonard couldn't place the emotion that flickered through her eyes as she looked at him before she turned back to listen to what Rip Hunter had to say and Leonard couldn't help but be intrigued.

It seemed like his soulmate had a poker face that rivaled his own.

He listened to Rip's (what a name) sales pitch and then shot down the idea that he was any sort of hero.

Leonard told himself that he was imagining the disappointment in blue eyes as he walked away.

Except he couldn't stop thinking about the color of her eyes or the way he'd caught a glimpse of a tan coat out of the corner of his eye when he'd turned away. He stared blankly at the page of the _Newstime_ issue he was holding before flipping to the next page.

To his left, Mick swore and Leonard tilted his head back so that it was leaning against the cushion of the couch, thinking about what she'd said on the roof about being reincarnated.

 _Yeah, I've done that._

Leonard let out a quiet breath, not that he needed to worry about drawing Mick's attention; the sound of Mick's power tools would have covered that small noise. He wanted to know her. He knew that being soulmates wasn't a guarantee of happiness, he'd heard the stories of soulmates meeting and deciding not to be together or even, in some cases, in each other's lives. There was nothing that said he needed to do this except his own instincts and Leonard had learned to follow those a long time ago.

The only thing he had to do now was get Mick to agree.

"I think we should go on Rip's little jaunt through time," he said just loud enough to be heard, deliberately keeping his voice casual.

Mick looked over his shoulder. "What?"

"I think we should go," Leonard repeated. "Imagine what we could do."

Shaking his head, Mick raised his voice to be heard. "I can't believe you're thinking of hooking up with the Englishman. We're thieves. Crooks. Criminals." He turned the machine off and headed towards the fridge. "I have no desire to save the world. Especially a hundred years after I'm dead."

That's what Leonard had been afraid of. This was where he had to pitch this just right for Mick to be interested. "He said across time, Mick. What about the years before? Before fingerprints and surveillance cameras and DNA analysis?" Leonard turned his head slightly, letting more passion for the subject slip in to his tone. "Why did we become criminals?"

Mick didn't even bother to turn around. "Because we hate working and we love money."

Leonard's lips twitched as he snapped the magazine closed and tossed it to the side. Well, that was one reason at least. He swung his legs to the floor and pushed to his feet in one fluid motion. "We could steal the Mona Lisa straight off DaVinci's easel, snatch the Hope Diamond before it was discovered," he said, lifting his hand and curling his fingers in to a fist to emphasize his point before poking Mick in the shoulder. "This is everything we got in to thieving for in the first place." He paused and thought of bright blue eyes before turning around, his voice getting lower and more serious than before. "More than everything."

He walked back to the table and stared down at the things scattered across it, turning his head slightly in acknowledgement when Mick spoke.

"You want me in, I'm in. But I'm not going to be anyone's hero."

Leonard lifted his gaze towards his partner and let the satisfaction flow through him, a smirk appearing on his face.

He loved when things went according to plan.


	2. Chapter 2

Her name was Sara Lance and she'd been dead for a year. The mere thought made his blood boil and his hands clench in to fists. They may not know each other just yet but she was still _his_ soulmate. He didn't even like to leave a member of his crew behind when pulling a simple job, the thought of someone killing his soulmate pissed him off and guaranteed that someone was going to be introduced to his cold gun at some point in the future.

However, on a much lighter note, Leonard could tell just from the short conversation they'd already had that Sara wouldn't take any of his shit.

 _"_ _Hey, I'm just trying to make conversation."_

 _"_ _Yeah, I could tell by the way you were staring at my ass."_

Well, he was only human after all and those pants—green, he realized—fit her perfectly.

Later, when he spun to face her and she smiled down at him, it was the glint of gold in her hair that had him standing and following her after she announced that she had the perfect outfit.

It wasn't just her that he could see in color all of a sudden though.

His parka was deep blue.

The grass was green.

The beer bottles were brown; the sparks exploding out of the jukebox were white; the car they stole was red.

He'd always assumed that if he ever found his soulmate, the change from black and white to color would be instant instead of this gradual revelation. He preferred this.

Leonard frowned when he pulled the goggles over his eyes. Though he still saw some things in black and white while other things—Sara especially—were bright splashes of color, the goggles washed out all color again and he could already tell that he was going to hate wearing his goggles now. Still, there was no reason for anyone else to realize this and so he made sure to change the frown to a smirk as they got out of the car.

"We go out for one lousy drink and you guys manage to pick a fight with Boba Fett," he called out, lifting his gun.

It couldn't even really be considered a fight though. He and Mick barely shot their guns off more than a couple of times and Sara didn't get to let loose the way she had at the bar. Still, there was a feeling that they were a team underneath all the tension.

Which meant, of course, that it all went to hell. The part where Kendra and then Sara punched Rip in the face was definitely the most amusing part—Leonard only wished he'd had a video camera to capture the moment forever.

The part where he found out that he was basically nothing to history, that none of them were even blips on history's radar? He could probably get over that since it wasn't like he was surprised. The surprise had been hearing he was a legend.

The part where Rip had manipulated them and had been using them because they were all considered expendable (except for the Hawks, he supposed, since they had to be the ones to kill Savage) to Rip and the timeline?

Well, now, _that_ pissed him off.

It was a sentiment that the entire group shared as they each split up and Leonard found himself with Mick, Sara, and, of all people, Ray. Sara didn't say a word as she sat down and leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms. They may not know each other very well but Leonard had learned how to read people at a very young age and he could practically see the wheels turning as she thought things over.

He was distracted by Ray nearly shooting him and Mick. He glanced down at the spot that was still smoking and raised an eyebrow before slowly looking back up.

"Watch it," Mick snapped.

"Sorry." Ray sighed and lifted his hands in the air. "What's the point of us even giving this a second thought?"

Before he could even think to stop himself, Leonard turned his head and looked directly at Sara. He took note of the way she pressed her lips together and wondered if that was something she did when she was thinking or if it was to stop herself from saying something. Before he could contemplate it further, Ray continued to speak, drawing Leonard's attention back to him.

"Rip has already seen the future. He knows exactly what's in store for each of us." Ray shook his head. "Might as well stay dead. Because the world doesn't need any of us." He looked at Sara. "You're just a lost assassin." Even as she frowned at him, he turned to Leonard and Mick. "And you're just a pair of good for nothing criminals," he finished, sounding a mix of resigned and bitter.

"I can live with that," Mick replied without looking up from cleaning his gun. Ray shook his head again.

"Well, I can't. I can't live with somebody putting a cap on my destiny. I've spent my whole life working to be something greater...by becoming something smaller. Then some guy comes along and tells me that being the Atom is as insignificant as an actual atom."

"That's not what he said," Sara disagreed, uncrossing her arms and standing up, walking towards Ray even as she looked over at Leonard and Mick. "Rip said in _his_ future, we're nobodies. But this mission is about _changing_ the future." She turned to Ray. "And if we have the power to change the world, don't you think we have the power to change our own fate?"

Leonard's lips lifted in a small smirk. "For better or for worse," he agreed. Sara gave him a small smile before turning back to Ray, raising her eyebrows slightly in a silent challenge.

He began to smile. "That's a very good point."

It didn't take long for Mick and Ray to each finish what they were doing and once they'd finished, it was as if there'd been some sort of silent signal as all of them stood up.

"Let's go give Rip the news," Ray said, heading out. Mick looked over at Leonard, eyebrows raised and nodded when Leonard smirked and tilted his head. He grabbed his jacket and followed Ray out.

"So, you're staying," Sara said, stopping at his side. Leonard looked at her, surprised. Not many people were able to read him and Mick so easily and especially not in such a short amount of time.

"We're staying," he confirmed after a moment. She smiled and nodded.

"Good." She didn't say anything else but she didn't need to. Instead, she watched as he shrugged his parka on and tilted her head. "You look good in blue."

His head snapped up as he looked at her. That was the closest either of them had come to acknowledging what they were out loud. He waited a beat longer and when she didn't say anything more, he gave her a quick smile.

"You should wear those green pants again," he told her, thinking back to their first conversation.

A surprised laugh escaped her and she lifted a shoulder. "If you're lucky."

Leonard smirked and tilted his head to the side, mirroring her actions from just a few moments ago, as he looked her up and down, making sure to keep his voice light and teasing. "Hope springs eternal."

They stared at each other for a bit longer, neither of them saying anything until Leonard inclined his head and swept his arm towards the door. "After you."

"And they say chivalry is dead."

"Chivalrous," Leonard mused. "There's one I haven't heard before."

"Ooh, color me surprised," Sara shot back. Leonard fought back a laugh as they caught up to Mick and Ray, who had been joined by Stein and Jax.

Leonard let his eyes wander back over to Sara. This time it was anticipation that he felt as he thought about what was to come and, for the first time in years, he allowed himself to have hope for what his future might bring.


	3. Chapter 3

**Note:** A bit of a time jump and a switch in POV here, folks!

* * *

Sara stared out at the Occulus, her hands clenched tightly in to fists, trying to fight off the feeling of dread that was spreading through her.

She'd left him there.

Logically, Sara knew that it had either been take Mick and go or stay with Leonard so that all three of them died. She knew that Leonard wouldn't want that and so she'd done as he asked and she'd gotten Mick back to the Waverider. But, still, it ate at her.

She'd left him there.

He wasn't just her soulmate, he was her friend, he was her almost, and she'd _left him there_.

Even as the Waverider shot forward and away from the Occulus, she refused to look away. She couldn't have explained it to anyone that asked but she had to watch. She had to know when it happened.

 _"_ _Please tell me you're not here to talk about feelings," Leonard sighed as she walked in to his room._

 _Sara scoffed and leaned against his bed. "Hardly. I came to see this new hand that Ray was babbling about."_

 _Leonard smirked and lifted his right hand, turning it from side to side. He wiggled his fingers slightly. "Ta da," he deadpanned. Sara grinned and leaned closer._

 _"_ _You're going to have to rebuild your calluses."_

 _Leonard flexed his fingers. "I know. But first..." He picked up a ball that had been sitting next to him and tossed it straight up in the air, barely managing to catch it. "I've got to take care of that."_

 _Sara pressed her lips together to keep from saying anything because she just knew that anything that came out of her mouth was going to be an innuendo about his fingers and their dexterity. He smirked at her as if he knew exactly what she was thinking._

 _Well, it was Leonard so he probably did, Sara acknowledged._

 _"_ _I'm glad you're not dead," she said suddenly without looking away from his hand._

 _Leonard blinked. "Yes, not being dead is always at the top of my list of things to be happy about."_

 _This time Sara looked up and raised an eyebrow. "You have a list?"_

 _"_ _It's even color coded." He gave her a look of mock offense when she snorted. "Don't judge me."_

 _"_ _Never."_

 _Leonard leaned back against the wall. He didn't say anything; he didn't have to, she knew what he wanted to ask._

 _They'd found that they never really needed words._

 _"_ _Logically, I knew you couldn't be dead," she told him. "Everything was still in color so I knew you weren't dead. But I still worried about it. What if you being in the temporal zone changed the way this worked? If you died here and I was stuck on Earth, would that stop me from knowing?" She shrugged and glanced to the right, studying the winter landscape above his bed. "I spent two years worrying about it. I thought it was only fair to tell you that I'm glad I was worrying for nothing."_

 _He stared at her before shaking his head. "Not for nothing. We don't know how it works except for the fact that Rip let slip that the color leaves the world instantly when one half of soulmates die." He paused and then leaned forward a bit. "Is that why you went back to the League?"_

 _She blew out a breath. "Partly." She didn't elaborate and he didn't ask her to. Instead, he nodded and leaned back again._

 _"_ _I'm glad you're not dead either."_

That conversation felt like it had been ages ago rather than just a couple of months ago. They'd gotten closer after that, gravitating towards each other more and more. She could still remember the rage in his eyes when Vandal Savage had held a knife to her throat.

Sara dug her nails in to her palms.

She should have found a way to get him out of there with her.

A part of her was irrationally angry at Rip. What did he think was going to happen when she and Leonard went after Mick? Leonard hated leaving anyone behind and the only time he'd done it to Mick, he'd fully planned to come back only minutes later.

She clenched her jaw. Of course, Rip didn't know that about Leonard. No one except Mick and herself did and he wasn't the type to share that with the others. Neither was she.

Sara sucked in a breath as the Occulus exploded and she swallowed the bile that rose up in her throat as she stared at the blue that burned so bright that the world went white.

And still she didn't look away. She kept her eyes focused on the center even when she was forced to squint because of the brightness. She didn't close her eyes when the white blinded her.

Her sight came back slowly and she couldn't help but blink this time as spots danced in front of her.

White spots. She resigned herself to the fact that the world was going to be without color for the rest of her life once those spots cleared away.

Her breath shuddered out of her as the room came back in to view. She felt like a vise was locked around her chest before it loosened and she was able to breathe again. Unable to stop herself, she let out a strangled noise as she raised her hand to cover her mouth.

"Oh my God," she breathed. She stared at the green of Mick's jacket in shock. "He's alive."

Mick frowned. "Blondie...Sara..." He trailed off as if unable to say it.

"I know you'd like that to be true—" Rip began only for Sara to cut him off.

"He's my soulmate." She swallowed when she saw the surprise on everyone's faces, Mick's included. Leonard hadn't told him; just like she hadn't told anyone either. "He's my soulmate," she repeated. "And I can still see in color."

Mick stared at her in shock before a small smile appeared on his face and he nodded even as the rest of the team glanced at each other, smiles appearing on their faces as well.

"It seems it's not just Kendra that we have to find then," Rip said. "We'll try going back to the Occulus first to search for him. While we do that," he glanced at Ray and Stein, "would you try to come up with ways we can track Kendra? We'll also need to figure out how to take down Savage, of course, but we won't be able to do it without her."

"And us?" Mick asked, gesturing at himself and Sara.

"I thought Sara could navigate the Waverider while the two of you search."

"I'll help," Jax volunteered. "Looking for Snart doesn't mean I can't also try to think of ways to help find Kendra at the same time."

"Gideon," Sara looked up, "is it possible that Leonard is simply floating out there in the temporal zone, close to where the explosion was?"

"It's entirely possible, Ms. Lance. However, it's also possible that he was scattered throughout the time stream or that he was launched somewhere in time. If that's the case, however, it's very likely that he would simply be dropped somewhere in his own timeline or even yours because you are soulmates."

Sara nodded and settled in to the captain's chair before looking over at Mick. That was a lot of possibilities but it was a start.

"Strap in," she called out, smirking slightly as she listened to the others quickly dropping in to their seats. She didn't hesitate to turn the Waverider back in the direction they'd just come from.

She had a crook to find.


End file.
